ESCONDIDO  Lucio Di Pace decided downtown Escondido was the right place to step out with his own restaurant after years of working with relatives.

Boyd Kerr, too, thought the city’s historical center was perfect for his own bistro after years in the corporate restaurant world.

“The city has really kept their word on wanting to renew their town,” Di Pace said.

The two restaurateurs, along with Kerr’s partner, Kristi McGee, separately made significant financial investments — upward of $200,000 — to give downtown visitors two new options for dining in classy comfort.

Lucio’s An American Grill opened at 239 E. Valley Parkway, near Juniper Street. Entwined Bistro & Wine Bar is at 113 E. Grand Ave., near Broadway. Both restaurants opened in September.

Di Pace and Kerr bring extensive restaurant experience to their new Escondido businesses.

Lucio’s An American Grill

For Di Pace, 39, who was born in Italy and began working in kitchens with his parents by age 8, Lucio’s marks the first time in his nearly lifelong restaurant career that he has had the final decision on every element of a business — color, furnishings, food.

“I had the opportunity to design, build, research everything on my own, with lots of consultation,” Di Pace said. “Ultimately, it’s my decision. … (But) it’s not about me. It’s about the big picture of making something successful.”

Di Pace set out to find that success with an unprecedented way of restaurant cooking in Escondido: outdoor grilling. His is the first permit issued in a pilot program to allow outdoor cooking for restaurants.

Di Pace built a large grill on Lucio’s patio to cook meats and vegetables. “I find across the planet that good food and food that’s good for your body is basic,” Di Pace said.

The grill setup blends with the outdoor seating and landscaping. Inside, Di Pace used wine barrels to build tables, wine racks and shelves. There’s a small stage for live music.

Besides featuring grilled foods and made-fresh-daily lasagna, Di Pace said his restaurant will help promote small local wineries and breweries. And he knows wine: He works with Cordiano Winery in the San Pasqual Valley, a vineyard and restaurant owned by his wife’s family.

Di Pace, who has worked as a software engineer, said he tried to get away from restaurants, but he got bored. “I’m an extrovert and it’s (software) an introvert business,” he said. “Computer software is not an art. It does not feed me. This feeds me.”

Entwined Bistro & Wine Bar

Kerr was burned out after years of running restaurants on the East Coast for Landry’s Inc. — owners of such brands as Chart House and Rainforest Cafe — and traveling as a consultant. Kerr, 45, wanted to use his experience closer to home in Poway, where he lives with McGee, 44.

“I love to cook and she loves to cook,” Kerr said. “We both just love working with people, working … in the kitchen.”

They explored Escondido and the rest of North County looking for a home for their bistro idea. They were hesitant about Escondido because they wanted to be in a more saturated restaurant market.

But they also wanted to be part of a community, and both grew up in Escondido. The opening in May of upscale Vintana — owned by one of Kerr’s former employers, Cohn Restaurant Group — at the Lexus Centre helped them decide to choose Escondido.

The couple’s vision was to create a restaurant that would “get people to want to stay and hang out,” Kerr said. “We didn’t want it to be too formal, (or) too casual. We wanted a relaxing, urban place.”

With wood tables, half booths, a “living room area” with armchairs and love seats, and vintage lighting, Kerr and McGee want guests to feel as though “they’re coming into (our) house and they’re (our) best friends in the world. We’re really just feeding people.”

Kerr wrote 150 new recipes for Entwined, including appetizers, flatbreads, pastas and desserts. The couple remodeled the Grand Avenue space with lots of help from family, and in under two months, they were ready to open.

“Coming from the corporate world … you had a team of people,” Kerr said. “Now it’s just us. … I’m scared, but should be.”